Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker have again introduced legislation to protect nearly 20,000 acres of the Cherokee National Forest as wilderness.

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Oakridger - Oak Ridge, TN

Writer

Posted Sep. 1, 2013 at 3:34 PM

Posted Sep. 1, 2013 at 3:34 PM

To the Editor:

Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker have again introduced legislation to protect nearly 20,000 acres of the Cherokee National Forest as wilderness. The Tennessee Wilderness Act of 2013 will create one new wilderness area, expand five others, and ensure that Tennesseans have wild places to visit long into the future. Passage of this act, which failed to get to the Senate floor last year, represents the first expansion of Tennessee’s wilderness land in 25 years. This acreage is already part of the Cherokee National Forest, so there is no need for federal funds to purchase land.

The areas up for protection in eastern Tennessee offer opportunities for kayaking, hiking, fishing, hunting, and camping. Exploring these places allows visitors to experience one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems, where some 20,000 plant and animal species reside. The measure would preserve important habitat for brook trout, black bear, bobcat, and white-tailed deer, as well as migratory, breeding, and wintering areas for numerous bird species. Readers can obtain information on the forest at http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/cherokee/home and see a lot of good information on the proposed act at http://tnwild.org.

I am grateful to our senators for their continuing efforts to protect our wild places. I look forward to their leadership in moving this important conservation legislation through Congress. I hope you and your readers will join me and others in support of this legislation, and tell their Congressional representative of their support.